Centre for History

The Centre for History pursues historical research in, of and for the Highlands and Islands

At the Institute website all of the Centre’s lecturers are research-active, visiting archives, writing books and articles that are published by leading academic presses and presenting their research to a wider public audience through engagement with local and regional community groups and cultural organisations. The newest university History department in the UK, the Centre comprises an ambitious and vibrant team of historians, committed to research of international reach and significance. Our research focuses on the history of the Highlands and Islands, Scotland and the wider world, from the medieval period to the twentieth century.

While maintaining our commitment to the history of the region, lecturers at the Centre have research specialisms in the following areas:

Irish, Scottish and British Diasporas

Maritime History in the North Sea and the Baltic

Sport in Highland History

Religiosity

Women, Gender and the Family

Warfare and Ethnic Conflict

The Centre’s research has attracted substantial funds from external sources, including the Wellcome Trust, Scottish and Southern Energy, the Forestry Commission, Carnegie Trust UK, the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust. We also have a growing body of taught postgraduate students, following the MLitt History of the Highlands and Islands, as well as postgraduate students undertaking research degrees.

Our vibrant research culture is supported by a number of events, including our seminar series, at which historians from Scotland, the UK and the world are invited to speak. Centre staff are also responsible, along with colleagues at the University of Aberdeen, for co-editing the peer-reviewed journal Northern Scotland, which is published annually by Edinburgh University Press.

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